Rose, Saith, Bartholomew & more get National Medals

Former PNM government minister Dr Lenny Saith, Aids researcher Professor Courtenay Bartholomew and Mc Cartha Lewis also known as Calypso Rose are this year’s recipients of the nation’s highest award, the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

Saith, who served under the first Patrick Manning-led government, is a civil engineer. He is being honoured for his contribution to national development. Bartholomew, a graduate of University College Dublin, Ireland, is the Professor Emeritus of Medicine of the University of the West Indies and an international researcher on Aids. He is being honoured for his contribution to medicine while Calypso Rose is being honoured for her contribution to culture .

Rose became the first soca artiste to win the World Music Album of the Year for her album Far From Home at the French Victories de la Musique award ceremony in Paris on February 10.

She made history in 1977 as the first woman to win the Road March and since 1978 she remains the only woman to have captured Carnival’s three top musical honours–Road March, National Calypso Queen and Calypso Monarch–in one year.

The Republic Day Awards replaces the Independence Day Awards ceremony. It is scheduled for this evening at the National Academy for the Performing Arts, in Port of Spain.

A full list of this year’s recipients are below:

Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago

Dr Lenny Saith, Civil Engineer, National Development and Public Service

Professor Courtenay Bartholomew, Medical Researcher, National Development in Medicine and Public Service